River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-11-17
Merchants Organization.

0n'Friday evening the merchants of
River Falls met in the council room
and listened to the explanation of A.
r. Townsend of the advantages offered
by organization under the protective
system represented by 1.-The Merchants
Retail Commercial Agency of Chicago,
H." 1t was voted to proceed to organ
iZe under such system. The following
were elected officers: President, f, j.
Burhyte; Vice Presiden :, g. l. APP Rob-
erts; Secretary, R. S, Freeman; Treas.
urer, S. ID. Dodge; Executive Board,
r. N. Jensen, A. I. Carroll, John
Weisend.
A majority of the merchants present
signed the constitution and bylaws,
pledging their honor as business men
to maintain and sustain each and every
part thereof for one year. A fine is
provided as penalty for violation of the
clause in such constitution, which pro-
vides that no member of the River
Falls Branch of the Merchants Re-
tail Commercial Agency" shall give
credit to person who does not in
some honorable manner adjust his
Indebtedness with another member
of the Merchants Retail CONNER
cial Agency" No person shall be
reported to the members of this or
any other branch as not entitled to
credit, until such person shall be given
a full and fair opportunity to go to the
merchant he owes and in some way
settle up his Indebtedness. This sys-
tenn cannot work a hardship on any
person who is disposed to do the
SQUARE thing. Any person, no matter
how poor, how unfortunate his circum-
stances in life, If HE Is HONEST, he
need have no fear, because he can and
will make known his circumstances in
such a way as will be satisfactory to
the person he owes. No MERCHANT
WILL EVER CROWD A POOR MAN WHO
Is HONEST; but that class of persons,
who do not care for their promises TO
pay, who go from one store to another,
from one town to another, contract.
ing a debt where they can get the
chance to open an account; who go it
blind, never stopping to consider how
they can pay; never trying to pay
paying their honest debts being the
last thing they ever think Oft is to
such persons that this system pays at.
tention. 1t is no hardship to ask men
to be honest in their deals with mer-
chant who trusts them. Every farm
er, every mechanic, every person in
the community in which we reside who
pays his honest debts is interested in
the success of a system which seeks to
make those who can pay, and wont
pay, pay their honest debts, because it
is those who pay cash or pay their
debts promptly, who furnish the money
which enables the merchant to conduct
his business successfully and carry on
his books that class of people styled
slow payers and "dead BEATS" Every
dollar lost by the merchant by reason
of bad debts is indirectly loaded onto
the shoulders of those who do pay, and
any system that forces payment by slow
payers and dead BEATS" or compels
them to pay spot cash or secure for
everything they purchase, unloads the
percentage from off the shoulders of
the honest paying classes. A man can.
not exist in this world and pay nothing
without proving a direct burden on
those who supply themselves with the
necessities of life by honest purchase.
The do-nothing, pay-nothing class are
what this Agency is after. The mer-
chants have no law for their protec-
ton; they must bs a law unto them
selves by combination for the protec-
tiOn of each other. They owe it not
only to themselves, bat to their cash
paying, prompt paying customers, to
combine together and to drive to set
Element or cash that class of persons
which infest every community, who
do nothing, live well and contribute
nothing. This system is being adopt
ed by all the leading merchants
throughout the west. 1t deals honor
ably with both debtor and creditor and
should have the support, not only of
merchants but honest consumers.
Pay up. Settle up or pay cash is
the motto of this branch and of the
Agency.